The Best Hair and Beauty Tricks From NYFW

Trick No. 1: Practice the Scrunch and Blow

Two models doing what models do before the Public School fall 2017 show in New York City. Photograph courtesy of Astrid Stawiarz

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

The Rundown: Air drying is great—until unmanageable frizz and annoying static kill the vibe. Sometimes a little heat from your blow-dryer is all you need, especially when you want to lock in your styling products and let your texture shine.

Most Popular

Backstage at Public School's fall 2017 show, the hair process was simple but sleek. Video by Chanel Parks

The MVP Technique: Apply a styling foam or lotion to wet or damp hair. Then, blow-dry your hair, scrunching small sections with your free hand—this will allow the air to concentrate on one area at a time for a better hold. After drying, finger comb through your strands and leave as is.

Trick No. 2: Ease Up on the Eyeliner

The Rundown: A clean black cat eye is the ultimate staple, but there's so much more out there! Broaden your eyeliner horizons with these two philosophies: less is more, and layers make everything look better.

MVP Technique No. 1: Accentuate your natural eye shape by applying dots of liner between your lashes—keep some space between them!—instead of a complete line of color. This look is perfect when you're short on time but want a little something extra to brighten your eyes. It's also a refreshing break from those time-consuming cat eyes!

The vivid blue eyeliner for Chromat's fall 2017 show was a striking complement to the collection. Photograph courtesy of Jami McCarthy/Getty Images

Trick No. 3: Mix Your Lipsticks

At Jenny Packham's fall 2017 show, a mix of two lip shades created a pretty, organic look. Photograph courtesy of Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Most Popular

The Rundown: The perfect shade of lipstick is already in your makeup bag…in the form of two or three lip shades. Lead makeup artists from Jenny Packham and Tanya Taylor concocted custom colors that were tailored to models' skin tones. Say you want to mix a purple, pink, and orange: add a little more pink for a fairer complexion or layer a bit more orange for a deeper skin tone. Ultimately, though, you're the mixmaster, so whip up something that best reflects you!

Your fingers are the best lipstick applicators. Video by Chanel Parks

The MVP Technique: When mixing shades, first blend the colors on your hand, then press the custom hue onto your lips using your index finger. The effect will be breezier and will look more natural than if you just straight-up apply it directly from the tube.

Trick No. 4: Make Your Manis Fast and Clean

The Rundown: When your crazy schedule doesn't leave room for a full-fledged manicure, go for quick little touches that give the appearance of a nice mani but don't take an eternity.

MVP Technique No. 1: OK, so you painted your nails in a rush. The edges are a hot mess, right? The quick fix: dip an eyeliner brush into nail polish remover and paint away the imperfections to create a smoother line. (Be sure not to use the brush on your eyes afterward!)

A dark, sparkling green was one of the shades Tibi used for its fall 2017 show. Photograph courtesy of Cindy Ord/Getty Images

MVP Technique No. 2: You can still make your nails look nice and fresh even if you want to skip the polish. Drop cuticle oil onto each nail and gently push back your cuticles with an orangewood stick. Your nails will look and feel refreshed and healthy.

Trick No. 5: Rethink the Smoky Eye

The smoky cat eye was just one of the epic beauty looks at the Libertine fall 2017 show. Photograph courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/Getty Images

The Rundown: One of the greatest feats in makeup has to be perfecting the smoky eye. The cool-girl look doesn't have to be a jump-through-hoops challenge, though. Ease things up a bit with tips from the Frame, Libertine, and Jill Stuart shows!

MVP Technique No. 1: For a subtle smoky eye, first frame your eye by drawing a wing with eye shadow based on the shape you want. Then go over the wing with eyeliner and "smoke" the color out by way of blending.

MVP Technique No. 2: Mix a black gel eyeliner with moisturizer on the back of your hand with a brush, then apply the concoction to your lids. The formula will glide onto your skin and is the perfect consistency for blurring techniques.

MVP Technique No. 3: Use a chocolate brown shadow instead of black or gray for a toned-down smoky eye.

Trick No. 6: Enhance Your Hair Texture

The wet look was in full force at the Creatures of the Wind fall 2017 show. Photograph courtesy of Victor Virgile/Getty Images

The Rundown: Instead of manipulating your hair into a look, let your hair's texture lead the way. These quick and easy styles are not only perfect for when you're running late in the morning: they'll also complement your natural beauty!

MVP Technique No. 1: Spritz a healthy dose (you'll want your hair to be damp afterwards) of either a texturizing or smoothing style spray, depending on whether you want a rugged or sleek aesthetic. Finger-comb your hair in the direction it grows and then leave it alone!

The models got to live their textured truth for the fall 2017 Tanya Taylor presentation in New York City. Photograph courtesy of Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

MVP Technique No. 2: Forget about a perfect middle or side part and blur the lines a bit. Refresh strands with a primer or leave-in conditioner and encourage hair to go in its natural direction and do its thing.

Trick No. 7: Fake Your Way to Bold Nails and Lashes

Can you tell if these sparkly nails from the Naeem Khan show are real or fake? Photograph courtesy of Robin Marchant/Getty Images

The Rundown: Stick-on nails and faux lashes are huge time-savers, especially for special occasions. Take maximum advantage of these faux tools with these pro tips.

A manicurist gets the shape down for a model's fake nails before the Naeem Khan fall 2017 show. Video by Chanel Parks

MVP Technique No. 1: After applying press-on nails, tailor them to your liking by filing them to your desired shape and style.

MVP Technique No. 2: Pretend you're wearing mascara without actually applying mascara, with the magical powers of a good lash curler. Using a small curler, curl the outer, middle, and inner lashes in different sections. This process will open up your eyes to make you look alert and ready to conquer the day.

These models backstage at Jeremy Scott's night show at NYFW still look alive after a long day on the runways. Photograph courtesy of Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

MVP Technique No. 3: Switch things up a bit by adding individual groups of lashes to the bottom lid, instead of applying a full strip on the top. It's a different way to open up your eyes—and it's so much fun to look at!